Non point source contributions to the increasing nitrogen and phosphorus loadings in the middle Musconetcong River between Saxton Dam Falls and Beattystown

The historic data set for the middle stretch of the Musconetcong river revealed an increase of nutrient concentrations and loadings as the river flowed downstream, contrary to the expected decrease in these parameters. Historic data revealed that the inlet streams to this stretch of river were not characterized. Physical inspection of this study area and a preliminary characterization of the inlet streams and point sources tended to rule out these streams and development-related land use as the source of this phenomenon. This led to a hypothesis: That the nutrient concentration and loading increases observed in this stretch of river are due to natural environmental conditions such as nutrient recycling, and not to development-related land use of the surrounding area. The finding that the river sediment leaches out nutrients and contaminants of interest at one test location and essentially acts as a source of these nutrients and contaminants lends credence to this statement, but there is no actual proof of that statement.; Three one-day preliminary studies and three intensive three-day studies were performed on the stretch of the middle Musconetcong River between Saxton Dam Falls and Beattystown. The first two preliminary studies and the first intensive study were performed according to most modeling protocols, which require a minimum of three days after a rain event before the accumulation of data. The third preliminary study was performed the day after a large rain event. The second and third intensive studies were performed the day of and two days following a normal rain event and a large rain event, respectively. These studies were used to test the hypotheses that a model need not be constructed under "low flow" conditions, as required by many modeling protocols, since "low flow" conditions are not reflective of the actual normal state of that body of water.; The flow for the calibration model, although measured seven days after a rain event, approached the maximum recorded flow of the historic data set. The flow for the validation model far exceeded this historic maximum. The construction of a "high flow" model and its validation under heavy rain conditions, prove that following this protocol is not absolutely necessary.